(( I am very proud to announce my very first guest post on GradJobs UK!! Be sure to check it out and tell me what you think! You can find it here: GradJobs UK Blog: Looking after your health after graduation))[UPDATE: The Gradjobs blog has since been removed and some posts moved to GradsCorner on Gradjobs UK website. So I have posted my guest post here for everyone to read.]

Looking after your health after graduation.

Stress. The first thing that comes to mind when thinking
about stress is a person tearing their hair out and screaming in despair. After the graduation ceremony graduates start
to face the “real world”, independence and the dreaded question: “what are you
going to do next?” Since this is the biggest transition in your life it’s
definitely going to be the most stressful one.

It’s really easy to get caught up in the moment and give in
to stress, particularly in today’s tumultuous economy with hardly any job
opportunities. Anxiety can overwhelm you and the fear of the future can make
you forget to look after your health; which should always be your number one
priority.

What does post-graduation-stress
do to you?

Stress affects the body in negative ways, both physically
and mentally. To begin with studies have shown that the more stressed you are
the more frequent you will have headaches and migraines [1].
Stress can even increase allergy flare ups, especially in the spring season
when flowers are blooming and pollen is everywhere. In a recent study
conducted, the group which had higher stress levels experienced more allergy
flares compared to the group with little to no stress levels [2]. And finally, stress can weaken the body’s immunity
[3].
Our immune system is consistently working with the immense task of protecting
us from bacteria and viruses that we are exposed to everyday; however when
stress levels rise higher than the body’s threshold, the long term effect of
stress can negatively affect the immune system. Which is why if you’re really
stressed you may find yourself catching a cold frequently.

Dealing with stress…

Make time for fun. Plan out days out with friends or
family, or if you can, book a holiday to your favourite destination and take
time out from your usual routine. It
will help you relax and avert your mind from stress.

Let it all out and complain to anyone that’s close to you.
Bottling up your feelings can also increase your stress levels and be
detrimental to your health so it’s better to get all the negative feelings out
of your system.

Don’t submit yourself to negative thoughts. Be sure that
even if finding a suitable job is taking a long time, it will come no matter
how long it takes but stressing about it won’t do anything but harm your health.
Negative thoughts won’t yield positive results.

Meditating and breathing deeply: breathing exercises help
you to control yourself and give a feeling of inner peace.

Exercising: You can
walk, run, do yoga, anything to keep active and find a way to avert your
concentration from thinking about the matters that stress you out.

Another notable health tip is to always start your day with breakfast.
Starting your day with breakfast will set your body up for the day by giving
you the right amount of energy and also make you feel productive and less
lethargic. Most dieticians agree that breakfast is the most important meal of
the day and can even enhance your mood and cognitive function and lower your
stress levels.

Don’t compare your
life with anyone…

After graduating you've got pretty much nothing to do apart
from looking for work and filling out job applications. Now you have the rest
of the day free to procrastinate, which then pulls you into Facebook and other
social media websites where all your friends post updates of their lives, and you
end up comparing yourself to them, but it’s a toxic and dangerous thing to do
to yourself! You might be convinced that
their life is perfect and everyone is living the dream life whilst you’re
struggling to get your foot in the door. You will end up feeling like the worst
person on the entire planet and stress yourself even more. Comparing yourself
to anyone is the worst thing you could do to yourself at any point of your life
and you’ll always be unsatisfied.

Overall stress is never a good thing and its negative for
your health but there’s always a way to not submit to stress and its pressures.
In between drafting covering letters,
sending numerous job applications and then waiting for a potential employer to
get back to you (and the disappointment when they don’t), you also have to
think about your health and isolate yourself away from anything that makes you
anxious and stressful.